Climbing to Hope
by A Dingus With Sweet Shades
Summary: My name is Nicholas White. My brother and I are members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Special Unit; a highly confidential counter-terrorism team. I'm still just a student, of Hope's Peak Academy. Something is going on behind the scenes, here. Something fishy. I don't like it. I am Nicholas White, and I'm here to solve this. [SYOC CLOSED] [Rating may change to M]
1. Prologue

When one is accepted to Hope's Peak Academy, they're usually overfilled with joy and shock. It's not easy, a lot of work goes into getting your very own Ultimate title. People may try all their lives and it doesn't happen. For some, it just happens—status and wealth can be a big thing. It's a rare occurrence to be chosen to attend the school, so you need to appreciate such things.

Nicholas White didn't feel excited. He was a bit scared, actually.

He had been trying. Of course, every Japanese teenager did. Nearly everyone picked a talent and practiced, practiced, practiced. Nicholas wasn't an exception. But yet, the envelope sits in his hands, and he's scared. Nervous. It's not as if he was a timid, shy kid, no, he was a prodigy, of sorts. Only seventeen years of age, and he was the leader of a highly confidential counter-terrorism unit in Tokyo, Japan.

"Logan."

Nicholas sits on the sofa in his spacious, expensive apartment. Across from him, is another sofa, and there sits his brother—Logan.

"You think it was a good idea?" he asks, quietly.

"You know no one's gonna listen to us." Logan mutters, scratching his chin, where a scruffy, dark brown beard had grown. "We're children to them. We had to."

"Yeah… but… the timing is so convenient, I…" Nicholas mutters, before shaking his head. "It's a little shifty."

"Agreed." Logan nods. "Maybe it's proof. Proof something really is up."

"Maybe they didn't just randomly choose us, huh…" Nicholas murmurs, going silent after.

Thunder suddenly roars and lightning flashes from outside, illuminating the late night. Most lights across the city were out, as the clock neared midnight. The apartment was dead quiet, aside from the sounds of the Spring storms went on outside. A chilly draft entered the living room, sending shivers through the two. Logan mentally thanked himself for bringing his suit jacket, whilst Nicholas had already put his away, sitting in only an untucked dress shirt and pants. He mentally cursed himself for not having it.

"It's getting late. I'm gonna get home now—watch yourself for the next few days, okay?" Logan says, sternly, as he gets to his feet. A finger is wagged in Nicholas' direction.

"Yeah, you too. Something's up here, I don't like this." Nicholas says in response.

Nicholas gets up too, walking up to Logan and giving his brother a protective hug, as the two pat one another on the back. "See you at work, yeah?"

"Yeah," Logan nods. "Am I on the ground tomorrow?"

"Mhm. You're gonna sneak in, okay? Don't show up to the station, no one can know you're doing this." Nicholas says, voice quieting down to almost a whisper. "You know what to do."

"Got it." Logan whispers back. "And you do, too? I have an extraction plan, yeah?"

"Of course. You're gonna make it look like you're another hostage," Nicholas says, "You do what you do, try to send me some sort of signal, and I'll have riot teams knockin' on the front door. Snipers'll be set up on the roofs, you'll be out in no time."

"Undercover work, eh…" Logan chuckles, "Nothin' new, but, ain't never hid nothing from _us._"

"You said it yourself, we're just children to them. If this, Ultimate Despair is a real thing, this is our chance to find out. No one's gonna listen. We do this, or it doesn't happen." Nicholas says, staring Logan in the eye.

After a pause, Logan nods, again. "Yeah, you're right, little brother. I'm off now, good night."

"Night."

* * *

><p><strong>ONE MONTH LATER<strong>

* * *

><p>Nicholas figured he might stand out, wearing a full suit and tie for the first day of school, but he was actually pleasantly surprised. He walked up the steps to Hope's Peak Academy, and you could already tell just how high-class the place was, without even being inside. Others wearing suits, ties, sport jackets, jewelry, and more expensive clothing were everywhere. Despite this, you could still see the casual jeans and hoodies, skirts and t-shirts, and such. It was interesting to see all the other people his age around Nicholas, but, he wasn't looking at them to see how nice their clothes were.<p>

He felt there wasn't anything wrong with getting a proper education here, and yes, he would enjoy his few years. But it's not for this reason Nicholas and Logan tried so hard to get in.

The school was corrupt.

Something was going on behind the scenes.

Nicholas didn't know much. The anonymous tip was vague, but a few words stuck in his mind. Hope. Despair. Tragedy. Hope Cultivation Project. It didn't make any sense. With a few friends in the school, Nicholas was to expose the secrets of Hope's Peak Academy.

"Well, if it ain't Mr. Ultimate Commander."

A familiar voice suddenly calls out from behind. Nicholas turns, at the sound of his Ultimate title, and sees a young man wearing a dark brown leather jacket, over a grey button-up and red tie, with a pair of dark jeans.

"Kagome." Nicholas offers a hand. The teenager shakes it, coming up to his side.

"Hope's Peak Academy…" he mutters, taking a drag of the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. His hazel eyes gaze upon the intimidatingly large school. "It ain't gonna be easy what we're gettin' ourselves into here. We find out something's really goin' on here, we're in danger. You know that, right?"

Nicholas nods. He opens his navy blue suit jacket, and reaches into the inside breast pocket, pulling out the item inside discreetly. In his hand was now a Beretta Pico self defense handgun—loaded with six .380 ACP cartridges. He quickly showed the boy in front of him, before putting it back, ensuring no one saw.

"Me too." the teenager says, quietly, patting his right pocket. The bulge of a blade could be seen, if one paid close attention. "If anyone catches ya, just remember: self defense. S'all."

"Of course." Nicholas nods. "Should probably get going soon, though. Let's go."

The other nodded. The teenager was named Kagome Kazuki, Ultimate Private Eye. The two are working together on the case, as well as a few other connections within the school. The operation was about to begin…

Things had been going fine. First class was math, one of Nicholas' strong points. It wasn't too much, as it was the first day, and it was rather more introductory than anything. The classroom seemed fine, nobody seemed too shady or anything, but Nicholas still kept an eye out.

But, it didn't take too long for all of this to fall apart.

A quiet hissing noise is suddenly heard. Nicholas' ears pick it up, as his eyes immediately dart around for the source. A few whispers and murmuring follow, making Nicholas not the only one to have heard it. And out of the corner of his eye, Nicholas sees it.

Gas.

Dark green gas.

"Oh, shit—" Nicholas says, shooting out of his seat. "Hey! Everyone cover their nose and mouths!"

And it was already too late for Nicholas. He follows his own orders, as the rest of the students erupt into chaos, beginning to scream, and shout. He runs to the door, trying to get it open, but he knows. He knows. He already breathed the gas in. _Dammit,_ he mentally curses, _I knew it. I fucking knew it! It happened! It happened! Someone is attacking!_

To Nicholas' horror, the door is locked tight. He pounds on it, as the rest of the students crowd around him, pushing and shoving. Nicholas was about to try kicking it, but not only was he lacking room, but… fatigue began to overtake him.

Knowing it was too late, Nicholas opens his mouth. "Sleeping gas, huh…" he mutters. His arms are tired as they pound on the door, as they eventually fall limp to his side. Loud _thuds_ can be heard from behind, and he knows what's happening. People are already passing out. And he's about to.

As his eyelids finally shut, he hears one last thing, over the intercom.

"Upupupu…"

* * *

><p><strong>END PROLOGUE<strong>

* * *

><p>[The SYOC has ended! Thank you for the great characters! The first chapter will hopefully go up soon, but I may be busy over the next few days as I get ready for vacation. Don't worry, I'm bringing my computer, so if I get time I'll write.]<p>

_**/ROSTER:**_

_**1. NICHOLAS WHITE | ULTIMATE COMMANDER | A DINGUS WITH SWEET SHADES**_

_**2. ANNIE MERITUA | ULTIMATE PACIFIST | JOKERSMAZE  
><strong>_

_**3. GABRIEL STEIN | ULTIMATE ENGINEER | LONELY YELLOW ROSE  
><strong>_

_**4. DAIKI TACHIBANA | ULTIMATE BOUNTY HUNTER | LOSTINTHEBEATS  
><strong>_

_**5. RYOKO TSUKATANI | ULTIMATE POETESS | APEXUTOPIA  
><strong>_

_**6. HOSHIKO HANAZAWA | ULTIMATE VIOLINIST | SAKURAMORICHAN  
><strong>_

_**7. SEYMOUR WEST | ULTIMATE JOURNALIST | PSISOMETHING  
><strong>_

_**8. BERT WASHINGTON | ULTIMATE MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER | INTEGRAS  
><strong>_

_**9. SHIORI YOSHIDA | ULTIMATE COMPOSER | BLUEMOONBUTTERFLY  
><strong>_

_**10. KINZOKU MITSUKO | ULTIMATE ROBOTICIST | THE UTTER HAPPENSTANCE  
><strong>_

_**11. ZÉPHYRINE GIROUX | ULTIMATE CARD GAMER | IFTIMEWASSTILL  
><strong>_

_**12. HIBIKI YUKATA | ULTIMATE HAIRDRESSER | SHADEDLYHT  
><strong>_

_**13. HIKARU MOMOKO | ULTIMATE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER | CAPTAINQUACKIN  
><strong>_

_**14. HIKARI TENNOYAMA | ULTIMATE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER | DASHUNTERMAN  
><strong>_

_**15. DURION PAZURU | ULTIMATE ? | BILLYBIOBOB  
><strong>_

_**16. WILLIAM TRICHER | ULTIMATE CHEATER | NELLISTABLE  
><strong>_

_**17. RINA TAKAHASHI | ULTIMATE ALPINE SKIER | HAKUNA HINATA**_

* * *

><p>[AN: Is it weird to hit 1,749 words in your SYOC prologue before even getting to the author's note part? Oh well who cares not me ha. I've tried doing an SYOC a good few times now on another account, failed miserably, and now I am deciding to do it again because WHY NOT. Maybe this one'll actually finish. Maybe. Who knows. But, uh, I guess that's it. Give me your OCs. Go. Goooo. SYOC ends when I feel like it so you probably have a lot of time.]


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening

**[A/N: Sorry for the wait! Replies to reviews at the bottom.]**

**[Edit: Hikari Tennoyama is now referred to as Tennoyama, rather than Hikari, to avoid confusion.]**

* * *

><p>The first thing he noticed was the cold.<p>

The next thing was the moisture on his face.

Third, the pattering of rain against… metal? Concrete? Judging by the hard, rocky surface beneath him, it must've been concrete. Maybe pavement…

Finally, it was the sounds of multiple voices slurred together, slowly coming into focus.

Confusion had overtaken Nicholas White. Consciousness returns to him, as his dark brown eyebrows were drawn together, eyelids fluttering open. Emerald green eyes are revealed from underneath. A droplet of rain suddenly splashes on his head, nearly getting into his eyes. Grunting in response, Nicholas shields his eyes with a hand. Worried and disoriented, Nicholas glances around, trying to take in his surroundings, and make some sense of the situation.

Pillows of large grey clouds had gathered above Nicholas, wherever he was, blocking out a pitch black midnight sky. Cold splatters of rain hit Nicholas and the road around him, in a steady pitter-patter. The whispering of a breeze in the air sent shivers through Nicholas, making his jacket flap about. Tall apartments and condos littered the area, but from his current position, could see the tops clearly. Little restaurants and shops were around, too. Thankfully, there were powered streetlamps, brightening the street—but oddly enough, they felt out of place. Lights were out as far as Nicholas could see, and aside from the voices around him, it was dead quiet. It didn't feel right at all.

Water soaked Nicholas' clothing. His dark blue suit seemed much heavier thanks to it, he noticed as he moved his arm to support his body. Nicholas slowly got to his feet, straightening out his grey paisley tie, and fixing the collar of his charcoal grey dress shirt. Ensuring the jacket was buttoned, his eyes gander over to the group of people, seeing just who they were. To his surprise, a large group of unfamiliar teenagers stood before him, scattered around on the long stretch of road. Breathing out frosty air, Nicholas wraps his arms around himself and approaches them.

"Hey!" Nicholas calls out, authoritatively. Multiple heads are swiftly turned.

"Oh, look who's awake." a tall male says, sarcastically. Decent muscle definition was on him, with broad shoulders, and long arms and legs. His hazel eyes carried an empty, irritated stare. On his person was a baby blue button-up under a black cardigan, with the top few buttons undone. A rose red tie hung loosely around his neck. Black slacks joined the outfit, with black dress shoes tightly hugging his feet. A messy mop of white hair sat on his head, with bangs lazily swept to his right.

"Hey! We're all together now!" a shorter girl cheers. She was a little chubby, though not overweight. Like the male before her, her eyes were a simple brown. A few freckles decorated her face. She wore a school uniform, with a grey skirt running down to her knees, and a white shirt tucked into it. An open black hoodie was overtop the uniform, seemingly too big for her, with the sleeves going right past her hands.

"'Scuse me." someone says, raising his voice over the rain, as he walks up to Nicholas. He was tall, and bulky, with some muscle. Rather intimidating. He wore an open brown bomber jacket, over a yellow t-shirt, and black jeans. Sporty white and green sneakers were on his feet. A small silver chain necklace hung from his neck. Also, he carried a satchel bag, as well. "Can I get your name?"

"You don't think there's a better place to do this?" Nicholas asks, raising a brow. "I'm all for introductions, but…" He moves his arm out, motioning around him, and in specific, the storm.

"Something wrong with the storm?" the male grins, "Just a little rain, y'know? It's okay to step outta your comfort zone every now and then."

Nicholas sighs. _What's with this guy…?_

"Nicholas," he eventually introduces himself, digging into his suit, before pulling a badge out, and showing him. "Tokyo PD. You're giving me yours too, yeah?"

"Huh. A cop, eh…" the other nods, in thought. "I'm Seymour West. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

**-SEYMOUR WEST-**

_A male with a tall and bulky frame. Short blond hair rests on his head, with brown eyes. A little bit of stubble adorns his face. His outfit consists of a brown bomber jacket over a yellow t-shirt, black jeans, white and green sneakers, and a silver chain necklace. Carries a satchel bag. Seymour's eyes seem to have bags underneath them…_

"Right. Can we go inside somewhere now?" Nicholas deadpans.

"You don't think we tried?" Seymour chuckles. "It's all locked."

"…everything?" Nicholas blinks.

"Everything." Seymour nods.

_Shit…_

Nicholas rubs his temples with one hand, looking around. The four-lane road stretched on for miles, with seemingly no end in sight, both directions. Worries begin piling up in his head, as he thinks about what could happen. If the group stays in this storm for so long, they're bound to get sick.

"Seymour!" Nicholas suddenly calls out. "What's even going on? Where are we?"

"Couldn't tell you," Seymour replies. "Never been here… Looks like New York or somethin'."

"Well, I don't think we're in America…" Nicholas scratches his neck.

It's at this point when Nicholas notices an odd building just down the road a bit. It looked to be about thirty or forty stories into the air, much like the ones around it, but this one stood out. At the end of the block, and directly on the corner, there was a tall fountain, with water spewing out of something Nicholas couldn't quite tell from the distance. Spotlights surrounded it, as well as stone bricks. Some being in different color made a walkway to the entrance of the building, where a black and white overhang with intricate designs hung about eight feet off the ground, over many glass doors. To the right of the doors was another walkway, and a small office. The actual building was in the shape of an L, with the long part behind the overhang, and the shorter being on its left. It shined with black and white crystals, looking like a chess board. On the overhang, Nicholas can make out the word 'HOTEL' written in large, golden stones.

Without saying another word to the group, Nicholas decides to cautiously approach it. Keeping his hands ready to move, and his legs loose, he paces towards the building. He hears Seymour ask where he's going from behind, but pays him no mind. A few others ask the same, before a girl comes up to him.

"Hey, where're ya going?" she asks. It was the chubby one, Nicholas realizes. Her voice had quieted down.

"You should go back," Nicholas warns, nodding back to the group. "Checking out that building over there, god knows what's inside."

"What, you don't think I can handle myself?" she pouts. "Who are you, anyway? You seem all… proper."

"My name's Nicholas," the cop introduces himself once more, "Tokyo PD. And you?"

"Hoshiko," the girl replies, smiling. "Wow, PD… that's, police department, right? I'm just a violinist, heh…"

**-HOSHIKO ?-**

**ULTIMATE VIOLINIST**

_An optimistic, childish girl. For her age, she was a bit shorter than average, and had a bit of weight to her, though not near overweight. Straight brown hair came down to her shoulders, and a little red ribbon was worn in the right side of her hair. Freckles adorned her face. Like the majority of the group so far, she had eyes the color of chocolate. A simple school outfit consisting of a pale grey skirt and arctic white shirt was her clothes, under a black hoodie that seemed to be just a bit too big for the girl._

"Hey, nothing wrong with that." Nicholas says, as the duo near the hotel. "You sure you still want to come with?"

"Well, if she ain't, y'better make room for me!"

Another voice suddenly sends the two turning around in shock. Standing before them, grinning, is another girl, appearing to be one of the people from the group. "My apologies, I didn't want to leave the two of you alone. How am I supposed to know what y'all were gonna get inta?" she says, with her hands on her hips.

_She's certainly bold…_

"…and who are you, again?" Nicholas asks, blinking.

"Th'name's Hikari Tennoyama!" she exclaims, making sure to put extra emphasis on 'Tennoyama'. Nicholas mutters something inaudible under his breath. "I'm the Ultimate Mountain Climber! Nice to meetcha two!"

**-HIKARI TENNOYAMA-**

**ULTIMATE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER**

_A lean, muscular, definitely bold girl. Her hair was short, and jet black in color. Some variety is shown, with pale blue orbs of eyes. Likely due to experience in the field of her talent, her body was well defined, probably not one of the best ideas to get into a fight with her. She wears a black bomber jacket, with the design of an eagle flying over a mountain on the back—the name 'TENNOYAMA' is atop it, while the words 'SHAKIN' HANDS WITH GOD' are below. Underneath it is a white undershirt, and blue denim jeans, as well as a pair of black fingerless gloves. Ski goggles rest on her head, and brown hiking boots on her feet._

"I'm Hoshiko," the violinist says, "Ultimate Violinist! And this is Nick, he's a cop!"

Meanwhile, Nicholas is just standing there, sighing.

_Great. Now I need to deal with two loud girls._

"Ehh, you don't talk much, hm?" Tennoyama says, turning to Nicholas. "C'mon, you're getting other people to introduce you, speak up!"

"Fine. Nicholas White," he says, rolling his eyes. He decides to pull out his badge again. "Tokyo PD, Ultimate Commander. Now, can we get out of the damn rain?"

"Pah! Who cares about the rain! It's nothing—" Tennoyama says, before getting cut off by a sudden, loud sneeze. "Argh. Still! Nothing!" she exclaims, raising her left index finger.

It's at this point that Nicholas notices something about this hand of hers.

"…uh, I think you're missing something there…" Nicholas says, blinking, looking at Tennoyama's ring finger. Or rather, lack of one.

Where a finger should stick out of her hands, there was none. The left ring finger was completely gone. Nothing but space.

"Ah, it's nothing!" Tennoyama shakes her head. "Quite literally, hm? Haha!" she laughs, prompting Nicholas to just sort of, back away.

"I'm gonna go on now…" he says, deciding to walk away from the scene. The two follow him.

"Hey, it's okay if I call you Nick, right?" Hoshiko asks, coming up next to Nicholas.

"Sure, whatever floats your boat." he replies, not caring an awful lot.

The trio finally make it to the hotel. They immediately go under the overhang, getting some much-needed shelter. Shivering, Nicholas' eyes scan the area, looking for anything that might be of interest, or possible danger.

"Look! It's so fancy inside!" Hoshiko exclaims, pressing her face against the glass doors.

"Come now, Hoshiko. Those might be dirty, y'know?" Tennoyama says, coming up next to the girl. "Wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face of yours."

"E-Eh? Pretty face!?" Hoshiko steps away, looking at Tennoyama, bewildered.

"Of course!" Tennoyama grins. "I couldn't _bear_ to see such a tragedy occur."

The two bicker back and forth, and Nicholas simply tunes them out, looking around some more. The fountain had a stone statue inside, in which the water came out of. To Nicholas' confusion, it seemed to be a two-tone teddy bear, spewing water out of its mouth. One half seemed innocent enough, with a black bead eye, but the other half felt a bit off. Evil. Was it the eye? The fact of how dark it was? Whatever it was, it sent chills down Nicholas' spine. Shaking his head, he walks away, continuing his little investigation.

It's then that he notices security cameras. In the left and right corners above the doors, a white camera with a red light on it hung. This seemed fine, after all, it was a hotel, and security was a necessity—but it was a little overkill. Looking around, there were cameras on each streetlamp, and on each of the traffic lights at the nearby intersection. Everywhere he looked, there was one. It didn't quite sit right, but Nicholas hoped it wouldn't be too big of a deal. Nicholas figured he was about done, and concluded the area was safe, until a voice had interrupted him.

"About time someone found some shelter."

Turning to the source, Nicholas finds it's the one in the black cardigan, with the shirt and tie. "You're welcome," he says to him, sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah. So, who are you? You're acting like you're some sort of big deal around here, huh?" the other male says.

Nicholas goes through his introduction, whipping out the badge once again. It was getting a bit tiring, but, the guy was rubbing him the wrong way. Nicholas wasn't the biggest fan of his attitude so far.

"Right. Did you get in here yet?" he asks, walking to the doors.

"No, I was looking around first. And, eh, do I get your name or…?" Nicholas asks, trailing off.

"Do you need it?" he raises a brow. "Don't assume we're going to be best buddies or something, pal."

The teenager pushes on the doors, and luckily enough, they actually open. A smirk appears on his face, as he walks on in. Sighing, Nicholas follows, motioning for the others to do the same.

"Oi, who the hell does he think he is!?" Tennoyama says, angrily. She balls her hands into fists. "Bein' all stoic and rude like that…"

"Ignore it. He's right, we're probably _not_ going to be best buddies." Nicholas shrugs.

The trio enter the hotel's first floor. The reception area was exceptionally fancy, and looked like a ton of money went into it. A large chandelier hangs from the ceiling, over a potted plant, sitting in the middle of the room. Beige tiles took the floor, with darker beige lines breaking them up into diamond shapes. A black and white rug with floral designs was underneath the plant. More potted plants were on either side of the entrance, going straight ahead, making it appear like a hallway leading to the reception desk. On the right of the plant in the middle were a few mahogany steps leading up to a dining section, with a bar, and multiple tables set up. A long table with about fifteen chairs lay in the center of the brown carpet. Wooden fences are on either side of the stairs. Meanwhile, on the left, there was a hallway around a corner, couches for waiting, a few trolleys for luggage, and two large doors. The mystery man could not be found.

"That was quick, where'd that guy go?" Nicholas asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

"He's a fast one, eh?" Tennoyama chuckles. "Wonder where he ran off to…"

"…I didn't like him." Hoshiko frowns.

"Aw, don't you worry, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt ya!" Tennoyama pats Hoshiko on the back.

"Eheh…" Hoshiko laughs, awkwardly.

Tuning the two out, Nicholas walks around the reception area. To his surprise, the candles in the chandelier were lit, a contrast to the rest of the neighborhood. Behind the reception desk was a door, likely leading to some sort of staff room, which Nicholas didn't bother to open. Next to the cash register at the dining area was a silver door, and it could be assumed that was the kitchen. On the other side of the room, there were six elevators and a staircase around the corner. Aside from the lit chandelier, it looked completely abandoned, but yet populated—everything appeared to be so clean. It didn't feel right…

Eventually, Nicholas found a few maps behind the reception desk. "Hey!" he calls out to Hoshiko and Tennoyama, "Come here, I found some maps."

"Oi, lemme see this." Tennoyama says, coming over and climbing over the table with ease. Hoshiko stayed on the other side. Unfolding a map each, both Tennoyama and Nicholas read over the maps, trying to make some sense of where in the world they were.

To their confusion, most of the map looked to be deliberately scribbled out in black marker. The only part that was left visible was in the center of the map, where the words 'Downtown District' marked the name of the neighborhood. It was a long stretch of road, with lots of tall buildings, tourist attractions, and shops in it. Judging by what he saw outside earlier, Nicholas figured this must be the same area. But for some reason, a couple buildings had red circles around them. First of all, there was a random area outside the city, where a pathway from the district to it. And then there was the hotel.

"Tennoyama. Can I see your map?" Nicholas asks, turning to her. Already, he can tell that her map is the same.

"Best'a luck to ya, officer." Tennoyama says, giving him the map.

Putting both of them on the desk and flattening them out, Nicholas observes the two maps for any differences. He leans over them, putting his hands on the wall of the desk. Hoshiko looks at them too.

"Are they all like that?" she asks, puzzled. Her brown eyebrows are pulled together, as a curious, interested look lights up in her eyes.

"Tennoyama, check." Nicholas orders, reading over the maps more, despite there being not much else to be read.

"Wh- and who do you think you are, bossin' me around like that!?" Tennoyama protests, turning to Nicholas.

"Well, if I told you, I'd probably have to kill you." Nicholas mutters.

_Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Special Unit, that's who I am… that's a mouthful, isn't it?_

"Oh, shut up, you can't be _that_ special." Tennoyama rolls her eyes.

"Well, 'special' is in the name," Nicholas scratches his neck.

"Well, I guess that's the perks of being an Ultimate cop, eh?" Tennoyama jokes, before finally going to check the maps. She unfolds a few, with Nicholas looking over her shoulder. "Little space there, bud?"

Nicholas apologizes, stepping back. After a few moments of the two looking at maps, the entrance doors suddenly open.

"Ahh, that's _so_ much better!" a male voice exclaims. The source appeared to be a somewhat tall, and weighty kid, wearing skinny jeans and a t-shirt reading the words 'Just Bert-lieve in yourself' on it.

"A-ah, yes, very." another male says, quietly. "I-it's much… uh, it's… much warmer in here…" he eventually gets out, stuttering and stammering over his words. He's nearly six feet tall, with a thin body, wearing a cream white sweater, with horizontal navy stripes across the upper half. His jeans were a dark blue, and a dark brown, flat, newspaper cap rested on his head.

"You shouldn't be so quiet!" the other says, turning to him. He was seemingly about to go into a tangent about it, but out of the corner of his eye, he sees the trio at the desk. "…Oh! Why hello!"

…_must everyone be loud?_

"Hello," Nicholas waves. "And you two are…?"

"Ah, excuse me," the one with the 'Bert-lieve' shirt says, coming up to the desk. His stomach shook with each step. Once reaching Nicholas, he offers a hand. "I'm Bert Washington, the Ultimate Motivational Speaker! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

**-BERT WASHINGTON-**

**ULTIMATE MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER**

_A rather large-sized male. He was a bit on the tall side of things, and just slightly overweight. His clothes consisted of blue skinny jeans, a t-shirt with the words 'Just Bert-lieve in yourself'—a play on words?—printed onto it, and high-top basketball shoes. Bert's eyes were a sky blue, and long brown hair descended down past his shoulders._

"Much obliged—Nicholas White, by the way. Tokyo PD." Nicholas replies, shaking his hand.

Meanwhile, the other person Bert was with, had remained near the entrance, nervously picking at his nails, biting his lip. Beads of sweat rolled down his head, which he kept low, staring directly at the floor, not breaking contact.

"Gabe!" Bert calls out, waving him over. He's shocked into reality, shooting his head up from the ground. "Come on! You must say hello, you know?"

"B-b-b-b-b-b… buh…" the other simply stutters in response.

"Look! Here's what you must do, Gabe!" Bert says, with sudden newfound confidence. He marches over to the nervous teenager, putting his hands on his shoulders. "You have to _Bert-lieve_ in yourself! I- I mean, look at _me!_" he says, taking a hand off to motion to his body. The other looks at him, confused.

"You see, I Bert-lieve. And look at what a _handsome devil_ of a man I am today. You can be like this too!" he says, jabbing a finger in his face. He backs up a bit, before gulping.

"I… um, okay." he finally says, taking a deep breath. A curious look appears in his eyes, as he approaches the desk. "E-excuse me, sir… you said you were… 'Tokyo PD'?"

"Correct." Nicholas says, reaching into his suit and pulling out the badge, showing him.

"Woooow…" he says, in astonishment. His eyes widen, leaning in to get a better look.

"Uh… can I get your name, there?" Nicholas asks. "I guess you already heard mine, so…"

"O-Oh!" he says, nearly jumping. "I-I'm Gabe! E-er, Gabriel! Gabriel Stein… um…" he nods, trailing off.

"D'ya have an Ultimate, or what?" Tennoyama asks.

"S-Sorry!" Gabriel apologizes, wincing. "I'm the Ultimate Engineer…"

**-GABIREL STEIN-**

**ULTIMATE ENGINEER**

_A male standing at about 5' 11", seemingly very thin and frail. His eyes were pale blue, with a few dark specks within them. Short, messy silver-blond hair sat on his head, with white streaks dyed into it. Gabriel's cream-white sweater had navy blue stripes going across the upper half, with darker navy jeans underneath. A brown newspaper cap covered his hair, being atop it._

Continuing the little social event, Tennoyama and Hoshiko introduce themselves.

"Um… I'm Hoshiko Hanazawa, Ultimate Violinist…"

"And I'm Hikari Tennoyama! Ultimate Mountain Climber!"

_Hanazawa, eh…_

"So what're we looking at here?" Bert asks, coming up and looking at the maps, leaning over the desk.

"Well, I'm assuming these are maps of the city," Nicholas replies, showing Bert one. "But they're all scribbled out…"

"Hmm…" Bert hums, in thought. "Ahah! Look at this! There's a few of these red circles…" Bert points to one.

"Yeah, we saw those," Nicholas says, "I don't know what they're supposed to be…"

"Where are the circles around?" Hoshiko asks, tilting her head.

"There's one around us, and one somewhere outside the city."

"Us? The hotel?"

"Mhm." Nicholas nods.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to find out why, eh?" Tennoyama says, stuffing a map into her jacket pocket. "C'mon! We'll search this whole damned place if we have ta'!"

"B-b-but… Miss, wouldn't that take a while…?" Gabriel pipes up.

"Who cares!" Tennoyama pumps a fist into the air.

"Yeah!" Bert copies the motion. "Let's go!"

With that, Tennoyama runs off, Bert in tow. They go around the corner to the elevators. Nicholas sighs, as more yelling is heard afterward.

_Might as well make sure they aren't getting themselves into trouble._

"Come on, we should stick together," Nicholas says to Hoshiko and Gabriel, following after the duo.

Tennoyama and Bert are found in an open elevator, seemingly quite upset about something.

"Only three buttons!" Bert complains. "What is this!? There must be more than one floor! Why can we even access the roof!?"

Raising a brow, Nicholas enters the elevator. "What're you talking about?"

Sure enough, Bert's words were true. Three buttons. One labelled 'G', one '2', and one 'R', with 'roof' written underneath. Hoshiko and Gabriel enter the spacious elevator, all fitting in easily. It appeared to be made for a lot of people.

"Hey! Someone took out all the buttons…" Hoshiko frowns.

"Th-that's weird… wh-why would they do that?" Gabriel asks.

"Well, it don't look like anyone ripped 'em out or something," Tennoyama says, "As if it were always like that… ain't that something?"

"Oohhh… this hotel's giving me some bad vibes…" Bert says, worried. "Just keep Bert-lieving, everyone!"

"Wh-what do you mean by Bert-lieve?" Gabriel asks.

"Bert-_lieve!_ You know, believe, Bert? Bert-lieve? Eh? Ehh?" Bert explains, expecting a response out of Gabriel.

"O-o-o-o-oh… I see…" Gabriel nods, "Sorry…" After that, he begins picking at his fingers again.

A few moments of unnecessary banter later, the group eventually decides to begin looking around. They agree on pressing the button reading '2', going up to the second floor.

* * *

><p>"Oh my gosh, this dress is so cute!"<p>

This is what Annie Meritua and Shiori Yoshida have been having to put up with while the others searched the hotel. The rest of the group had split, wandering off into random directions, trying to get a sense of where they were. Three girls had split into their own little group, and had eventually found a clothing shop, just a few minutes away from the hotel.

"I don't know if I'm feeling these colors, though." Hikaru Momoko frowns, holding up a short, rather _revealing_ dress, split into a monochrome color scheme, half black, and half white.

**-HIKARU MOMOKO-**

**ULTIMATE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER**

_A girl with an athletic build, standing at five foot seven. Some muscle volume can be seen on her bones. Hikaru's eyes are hidden by a pair of dark blue sunglasses, with extremely long jet black hair, tied up in a messy ponytail. She wears a pair of dark green athletic shorts, with a bright red t-shirt underneath a small, soft black jacket, with a hood. Oddly enough, some scars can be seen on her legs…_

"It looks very nice," Annie Meritua smiles, gently putting out a few fingers to feel the material of the dress. She does so hesitantly, making sure to not make contact with Hikaru, or ruin the dress in any way.

**-ANNIE MERITUA-**

**ULTIMATE PACIFIST**

_A short, delicate-looking girl. Annie has short, golden blonde hair, with a few long bangs swept to her left, while a little cowlick stands out from it. Her eyes were an innocent sky blue, and her clothes appeared to be very Lolita-based—wearing a maroon red vest with puffed shoulders over a white blouse, with a red ribbon tied around her neck. Little red bracelets matching the vest's color were on the girl's wrists. As for the rest of her clothing, she wears a black skirt, with black stockings, having a yellow strip around the tips. Just underneath them was the design of a yellow scale. On her feet are ankle-high boots, with the same design as the stockings. Overall, Annie looks like a kind, gentle girl._

Shiori Yoshida had simply nodded, in agreement. It appeared she didn't have anything else to say, and instead, she opted for looking around the clothing store the three were in, promptly spacing out.

**-SHIORI YOSHIDA-**

**ULTIMATE COMPOSER**

_A short girl of average weight. Her eyes were a dark violet, with light brown hair cascading all the way down to her lower back. A white headband rests on her forehead. Shiori wears a yellow button-up with a brown bow around the white peter pan collar, with the sleeves going down halfway. It's tucked into a waist-high black skirt, which was over white knee socks, and black dress shoes._

"So, what, you guys ain't getting anything?" Hikaru asks, putting a hand on her hip, tilting her head in confusion. "I dunno what's going on, but like, I don't see any security."

"Um… actually, haven't you seen all the cameras?" Shiori pipes up. She shyly points to one of the corners of the room, over on the other side of where the girls were, which held men's clothing. Sticking out of the corner is a sleek, matte black security camera, with a bright red light. The actual lights of the store were on, which was odd, considering most of the neighbourhood.

"…maybe." Hikaru mutters, crossing her arms, looking away from where Shiori pointed.

"I noticed those too…" Annie says, biting her lip softly, dipping her head low. Her eyes dart to the side. "There's an awful lot. I do wonder why…?"

"Cameras shcameras," Hikaru scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Who cares, I don't see any cops."

"This doesn't feel right…" Shiori murmurs, holding her arm awkwardly.

"It's good you're calm, but… can you really be so indifferent?" Annie asks Hikaru, quietly. "I mean…" she sighs, trailing off. "No, um, I'm sorry…"

"Why not?" Hikaru shoots back.

"Do you know where we are…?" Annie asks, curious.

"Nope," Hikaru shrugs. "Why be all worried? We'll be fine, trust me."

"How do you know?" Shiori then asks.

"'Cuz I'll protect you guys." Hikaru smiles, warmly.

And with that, just a bit of worry lifted from the trio.

* * *

><p>The elevator eventually took Nicholas and his group to the hotel's second floor. They had been exploring for a little while now, and had a decent layout stuck in their head. The floor consisted of some rooms for visitors to stay. It had a modern feel to it, with arctic white walls, and ink black doors. Every so often, two doors would be next to each other, as the two rooms were connected. The floor was tiled, with a black and white checkered design. Spotlights were built into the ceiling, lighting it up. The hallway would eventually split into an open circle area, with two other hallways, making a letter Y out of the floor, but oddly enough, the others were blocked off by intimidating locks and chains. However, halfway between the elevators and the area, the hall turned left, with yet another hallway, going left and right—but this one had tall glass windows, showing the darkness outside. Rain hit the window at fast speeds, and the wind can be heard hitting it as well.<p>

There was just something odd, though.

All the doors in the initial hallway were only marked by a number. But in the one with the windows, each one had a steel panel bolted into them. Written in pixelated font, was a name. Nicholas found his own name on one, plus a little pixel drawing of himself. The others had found their own too. Accompanied with the group of five, are another twelve signed doors. Nicholas tries opening his door, but, to no avail—it was locked.

"My door was locked, too…" Hoshiko says, coming up to Nicholas, frowning.

"Just something else to add to the mysteries, huh?" Nicholas mutters, examining his door.

"How long till one of you finally notices me?"

A familiar voice suddenly strikes through the air. Raising a brow, Nicholas turns to the source, and a familiar face is paired with the voice. The rude one from earlier, in the black cardigan, he comes out of a dark, shadowy corner, hands pocketed.

"No 'hello' or anything?" Nicholas says, staring him in the eye. "How long were you just gonna watch us from that corner, huh?"

"I can do what I want, cop." he rolls his eyes. "That is you, right? The cop?"

Nicholas nods, silently. His stare slowly begins turning into a glare.

"Right…" he nods. He looks at the others of the group, now standing beside Nicholas. "What about you guys? I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

"'Scuse me?" Tennoyama says, going right up to the man, getting in his face. "Y'all're tellin' me you're just gonna walk right up in here like you're all big, ask us for our names 'n not even give us _yours?_"

"You won't comply till I give you mine, huh?" he sighs. "Okay, play it your way. Daiki."

**-DAIKI ?-**

**ULTIMATE ?**

_A well-built male. Seemingly rather distant, and introverted. Standing at about six feet, with broad shoulders, and rather long limbs. Daiki's face is shaped much like a heart, with a roundish nose. His hair is all over the place, colored a soft white, with a Korean style flair. His messy bangs fall just short of his eyes, swept slightly to his right. However, some bangs shot out or curled more than others, giving a heavily layered look. As for the rest of his hair, it simply juts out in random directions. The boy's eyes are a bright hazel, and if one squinted, could see he had little flecks of gold around his pupil. It gives off an awfully… distant aura. Daiki has long eyelashes, and to match his hair, white eyebrows. Unlike his hair, it's treated properly, trimmed neatly. As for clothing, he wears a clean, baby blue dress shirt with the top few buttons undone under a loose, rose red tie. And on top of that, was a black cardigan, with pockets over each abdomen. A necklace can be seen around his neck, the pendant being a shark tooth. As for the rest of his clothing, he wears a pair of neatly pressed black slacks, and seemingly tight black dress shoes._

"And now we gotta introduce ourselves, huh?" Tennoyama asks.

"Would be nice, I gave you my name…" Daiki says, crossing his arms.

"_Ai yi yi, how long is this gonna go on for!?"_

"Wha—" Nicholas turns, looking for the source of a very sudden, and blunt voice. His eyes fall on a TV screen bolted into the wall, showing static.

A blaring siren suddenly sounded from the hotel's speakers. The group swiftly turned to the TV, listening intently. Eventually it was silenced, as red flags began to rise within everyone.

"What the hell was that?" Nicholas asks, eyes darting around the hall.

It only took seconds for the next part of the situation to begin. With a click, the lights vanished, plunging the entire floor into pitch black _darkness._ The few rays of moonlight peeking through the clouds were the only source of light the students had. Nicholas' eyes widened as adrenaline kicked into his system. Scared yelps were heard from the girls of the group, while an annoyed scoff came from who must've been Daiki.

"Ahh, hello? Is this thing on? Mic test, mic test…"

Following the siren, a voice comes out of the speakers, resounding through the hallway It was a childish, oddly _innocent_ sound, which may have calmed some, but only served to send chills down the group's spines.

"Oi, what's going on here!?" Tennoyama shouts, furiously. A loud thud is heard from the ground, seemingly near Tennoyama's last known position before the blackout, which was enough to send vibrations through everyone's bodies. "Are y'all gon' show yourself or what!?"

"Wonderful, we're golden." the voice speaks. Nicholas runs over to a nearby window, using the moonlight to guide him. Looking outside, he sees nothing but darkness—the streetlights had went out, too. "Can y'all do me a favor? Pwetty pwease?"

* * *

><p>"Who the hell are you!?" Hikaru shouts angrily, stomping on the ground in the pitch black clothing store.<p>

"Hikaru, please, calm down!" Annie says, raising her voice, but keeping it from going too high.

"Oh god…" Shiori whispers.

"I want you all to come to the hotel's rooftop." the voice continues, in a serious tone. With another click, the lights suddenly turn back on, but not all of them. Instead of being a bright white, they were a dim red, as well as a few streetlights outside.

* * *

><p>"Ugh…" Kinzoku Mitsuko grits her teeth, in anger. She kicks aside a chair in the café she had found, knocking it to the ground.<p>

"It's time for you to get your answers," the voice spoke, echoing through the café.

* * *

><p>"Hm…" Durion Pazuru stands with a few others, taking cover under a grocery store's overhang, outside. Rain pours down like mad, wind throwing around litter from the streets.<p>

"I guess it's about time, eh?" William Tricher chuckles.

"You aren't worried?" Ryoko Tsukatani asks. "Who knows what we're going to face on this rooftop."

"Of course I am." William replies, shrugging. "We'll just have to be careful."

"I suppose." Ryoko murmurs.

"You should, too," William says, "You've already had an," William pauses, "accident, huh?"

"Hmph." Ryoko's hand goes up to her left eye. While most would expect to touch skin, she felt cotton. Covering her eye was a white eyepatch. "I'll be fine."

"Upupu…" the childish voice continued…

"Well, this is weird," Hibiki Yukata says, "We should get moving, though!"

"Of course." Ryoko nods in agreement. "I do not wish to see the consequences of failing to comply…"

* * *

><p>The spotlights in the hallway Nicholas and the others had turned back on, but were nothing more than a dim, red light, sending chills down Nicholas' back. Only a few were on, and they seemed to be leading to the elevators.<p>

"Moment of truth." Daiki smirks. Saying no more, he crosses his arms, and leaves.

"O-o-o-oh dear…" Gabriel sputters out, shaking in his spot. He watches Daiki walk out, biting his lip.

"H-hey, it's- it's going to be alright, guys!" Bert says, worriedly. "Just remember to Bert-lieve, right?"

"Oi, what's wrong with you all!?" Tennoyama exclaims, "This is it! We're gonna find who put us here, or whatever the hell's goin' on, and beat the shit out of them!"

"Or, we can talk this out, and not do anything to get us killed." Nicholas sighs.

"D-do you think we're gonna get killed!?" Hoshiko asks, frightened.

"I'd hope not, but, from the looks of it, this seems like a hostage situation of sorts…" Nicholas mutters, looking down, trying to think.

"Now hurry and get your asses over here! I ain't got all day… _hurry the hell up!_" the voice finishes.

_So this is it._ Nicholas thinks. _Something feels off. Do I know this voice? This feels familiar, but… I don't understand… a case? Wasn't I working on a case?_

_What the hell was it?_

* * *

><p>[AN: And here we go, the first chapter is finally finished! Sorry about the wait, I've been kinda busy the past few weeks, school, holidays, ugh. Not to mention I'm sort of lazy. Sort of. Just a bit. I'm sorry ;-;

Anyways, I believe I managed to fit each character in there, minus one that we should be getting by next chapter. If I didn't get you in, sorry, probably by next chapter. I tried to do something different this time around, cuz well, is every character _really_ going to give this random person their whole name and Ultimate? Trying to keep it realistic by keeping to first names and not mentioning talent, but everything will be revealed eventually. Oh, and yes, we have a city as our setting, haven't been keeping up with SYOCs recently so I hope that's unique ._. Oh well. Lots of opportunities here, hopefully I'll manage to finish this and use all the ideas I have(I have a lot). I may as well reply to reviews now, huh?

Hakuna Hinata: I try, I try. Thanks!

ProfessionalCatFan: Thank you! You might wanna get ready for long waits for updates, it takes me a while to write. Sorry about that.

Lonely Yellow Rose: I really thought Gabriel was gonna be a master debater ;-; huehue

bluemoonbutterfly: Tyyy, I'm probably gonna need it.

IfTimeWasStill: Oh yeah, that's just how I write, I guess. Mystery is awesome. Thanks thoughh

ShadedLyht: Hibiki is definitely going to be used a lot, thanks for him.

Aaaand done, finally, time to upload. Seeya in like 10 years when I make the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 2: Reality

_[A/N: *apologizes intensely for wait*]_

* * *

><p>The howling of wind. The steady rhythm of rain. The rolling thunder in the distance. The chatter amongst the students.<p>

This is what is to be heard on the hotel's rooftop.

About fifteen minutes since the odd voice's announcement had passed. Most of the students had obeyed the orders, and now stood on the building. The tension in the air was thick enough a knife would have an easy time cutting right through. In an attempt to rid of it, they had been talking, trying to convince both themselves, and others, that it'll all be alright.

"Well, looks like almost everyone's here, guys!" Bert exclaimed. "It'll be okay! Just Bert-lie—"

"Can you please shut the hell up?" an apathetic girl sitting in a wheelchair asks, bitterly.

"Wha—" Bert stops in his tracks, shocked. His eyes widen. "Excuse me!? I am _trying_ to raise everyone's _spirits—_"

"Bert, listen to her." Nicholas orders, rolling his eyes.

"You too!?" Bert swiftly turns to Nicholas, a hurt look in his eyes.

Eventually, the last few students arrive. They chat back and forth, as the group awaits further events.

It's not long before it all starts.

"Aww, y'all actually came!"

The childlike voice from the announcement moments before echoes through the city, sounding way too close for comfort. Everyone turns to the voice, and standing on top of a helipad a distance away, was the source. The seventeen students rush to stand before it.

A toy teddy bear—_What the hell?_, Nicholas thought_—_was seen standing at about three feet tall in the center. It had a monochrome color scheme, with an evil red eye on the black half, and a normal black bead on the white side. Nicholas can't shake the feeling that he seen this bear before. There was something about it that rubbed him the wrong way, but he can't exactly put his finger on it. Figuring he has worse problems, he tries to just shrug it off. He has a hard time doing so.

"Wait, what?" a girl in a lime green ski jacket says, baffled. "A bear?"

"Monokuma, to be exact!" the bear says, raising a claw into the air as he introduces himself. "Y'see, children, it's Monokuma because I'm half black, half white, and—"

"You're the bear from that statue." Nicholas suddenly cuts him off, realizing where he saw the bear before. And yet, he didn't find satisfaction in this. Surely enough, aside from the color, it had to have been the same bear. The eyes were the determining factor. But, no, no, that's not it, there's more to this bear.

_There's more to this bear._

"Wow, great observation!" Monokuma says, clapping with his tiny little robotic paws as he turns to the officer, "You shoulda been a detective rather than friggin' Special Unit."

"How the hell do you know I'm in Special Unit?" Nicholas raises a brow, worried. He steps back, _no one's supposed to know that, what the fuck?_

"You think I went through all the time to get y'all together and didn't bother puttin' at least a _little_research inta who I'm kidnappin'?" Monokuma replies, with a knowing grin. A few malicious snickers escape his robotic mouth.

A few people visibly flinch at this. Hoshiko, right next to Nicholas bites her lip, he notices. Tennoyama choked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"What do you mean research!?" she exclaims, nails digging into her flesh as her hands instinctively curl into fists. Her missing ring finger could easily be seen.

"Research. I know what y'all did." Monokuma says, ever so simply. He crosses his arms over his chest, puffing it out.

Tennoyama goes absolutely silent, not another word escaping her mouth.

"Shall I get to the point, now?" Monokuma asks.

It's mostly quiet. No one dares to say a word. Fear was beginning to instill itself inside the students, thanks to uncertainty of the situation about to begin. Humans are afraid of what they don't know.

"Uuu… y'all are scared, I can feel it," Monokuma giggles.

"Get on with it." Nicholas glares.

"Please, do…" Seymour says, a notepad and pen in hand. He watches Monokuma closely, ready to start scribbling down words as soon as he starts talking.

"Y'all are about to play a little game of mine. As you should know by now, you've been kidnapped." Most of the students just couldn't shake the chills running through their body at this statement, nor the thoughts of _"Oh, shit."_

"It ain't just a little thing for ransom, no no no. I want you to find a way to escape on your own. I've set up some rules for you."

It's then the students hear a steady rhythm in the sky that wasn't the rain. It sounded an awful lot like the chopping of a helicopter's blades. With a sudden burst of air hitting the rooftop, they turn to the source of the sound, bewildered, confirming their initial thoughts.

"Is that a helicopter!?" Bert exclaims, with widened eyes. He points at it with a shaky arm.

Much to the shock of the rooftop's residents, a black helicopter with the front painted to look like the open mouth of a shark flew just above. The window was tinted so not to show the pilot. Underneath, a large box wrapped like a Christmas gift was tied. It drops, and as if nothing even happened, the chopper turns away.

"Hey!" Seymour shouts, as loud as his vocal chords would let him, trying to overpower the helicopter's engine, and blades. "Come back! Come back, hey, get us out of here!"

Everyone began yelling.

"Come back!"

"Where are you going!?"

"Who are you!?"

"We're still here!"

"_Help!_"

But, alas, the students' requests were to no avail. The mysterious vehicle flew off and disappeared behind a taller building.

And now, a box in colorful wrapping rested in the middle of the helipad. The students are absolutely silent, still processing whatever just happened.

"Figured I'd drop us a little care package," Monokuma says nonchalantly, walking up to it. "Would help us out a little." Sharp blades pop out of the robotic bear's claws, as he begins swiping at the wrapping wildly, tearing it apart, even cutting open the cardboard underneath. Revealed inside the mystery box was a pile of electronic devices, each with a few words marked on the back. Monokuma called everyone up to take one, and so they did, finding that the words weren't just words, but rather their names. It looked a lot like a smartphone, and just under their names, is the shield of Hope's Peak Academy. They had heard of these; aren't they called ElectroIDs? Under the devices were a pile of cardkeys, with a name marked on each one. Each of the teenagers picked up both an ElectroID and a cardkey.

They were ordered to power the devices, and so the students did, using the power button just below the screen. For a moment, their name and talent appeared. It changed into a screen with many different options, but each had a line striking through it, implying they couldn't be chosen. However, one was lit up, lacking a line.

**ESCAPE**

"Press the Escape button, please." Monokuma says. A keypad appears upon tapping it, using the touch screen. "This is your way of escape, children. Throughout your stay, you'll be given hints to three different riddles. Upon finding the correct answer, each of you must enter it. And if you win? One final riddle awaits. You can then escape, all together."

"And what's the catch?" Seymour asks, convinced something behind the scenes is occurring.

"I like this kid." Monokuma grins. "I won't just give you hints to the riddles."

"Pray tell, little bear, how do you expect us to achieve the answers to these, _riddles?_" a girl asks. She did her best to glare intimidatingly at Monokuma, but considering the fact that there was an eyepatch covering her left eye, it was a challenge.

"Upupu. Have any of you ever killed a man? Cuz, well, you're about to."

A round of shocked gasps rings out from the crowd. They all look at each other, confused beyond belief.

"In order for me to give you the hints necessary, _you will have to murder another student._"

The bear spoke ever so calmly. Like it was just another day.

"H- Hold on, _what!?_" the girl in the green jacket exclaims, eyes widening. Her body trembles in horror. The crowd explodes into uproarious objection, but the toy just continues.

"You will be given the tools necessary. Knives in the cafeteria, guns from the gun shop, chainsaws in the hardware stores, cars in the parking lots, surgical tools in the hospitals…"

"Wh- what the _hell_ are you talking about!?" Hikari exclaims. She steps towards Monokuma, hands balled into solid fists. "Who the fuck are you, even!?"

"Of course, it has to be the perfect kill." Monokuma continues, ignoring the girl. "You have to get away with it. Rules are, you can kill up to two people, but otherwise, go nuts."

Nicholas steps away from everybody. As the bear spoke, pain began to strike through his head, symptoms of a migraine showing. Rubbing his temples with his left thumb and middle finger, he tries to rid himself of the pain. His mind was going a million thoughts per minute, as something about all of this felt extremely, extremely wrong. And yet _right._ Familiar? Would that be the word? Nicholas supposed so, but how? He hadn't seen this bear in his life.

Right?

For a split second, Nicholas' thoughts would drift to an old name he heard once before. _But, what does _she_ have to do with this? Nothing, right…?_

"Have fun, boys and girls. You're dismissed."

* * *

><p>The entire situation was rather displeasing. And complicated. Riddles? Murder? Unfortunate. Being the Ultimate Pacifist, Annie Meritua wouldn't be the biggest fan of her circumstances.<p>

After the events on the rooftop, the students broke off and did their own thing. Some were seen still in groups, but for the most part, everyone was alone. Like Annie. She'd probably patrol the streets later, though. The girl knew that each of the students wouldn't just get along, especially now, and she was there to keep the peace.

_Keep the peace, Annie._

In Annie's hands were the items Monokuma gave out. She already used the key, finding that it let her unlock and lock a door in the hotel with her name on it. Supposedly, this was her room to stay. At least the bear gave everyone a bed to sleep in. It was quite the fancy room, too. The first thing Annie had noticed was a comfy king-sized bed taking up most of the room, first seen to the left of the door. A huge white blanket covered the mattress of the same color, with four black pillows—two on both sides—and a little plushie of the students' captor sitting cutely in front of them. On the wooden headboard behind the pillows, there were two lamps sticking out, a dim light from each illuminating the room. A lighter-colored wood nightstand was on the bed's right, while on its left was a walk in closet, extending to the end of the bed. But, you could walk around the outside of the closet, leading to a hallway with two doors. One at the very end was locked, while the door on the right wall led to a bathroom. On that very same wall was a large window, showing the new city outside, now full of lights, with little rain quietly hitting the window. Opposite of the bed there was a chair and desk, all wood. Each wall was colored cream.

Annie stood at the window, looking outside. The storm had quieted way down, becoming nothing but a quiet fall of rain. Somewhat of a chilly draft came through the closed glass, but it was rather nice. She couldn't help but stop, thinking of what her life would be like now. Is it true? This whole game? Stuck with no way out except to kill her colleagues? That can't be right. It's a city. That can't be the only way out. They must be able to make it to an airport, or _something,_ right?

Her lips curve into a frown at the thought.

* * *

><p>"Wouldn't eat that, if I were you." Seymour West warns. Him and some others had been looking around the hotel, stopping at a food court. The journalist was half watching the others, and half watching a video from his camera.<p>

"We've been here for hours, though!" another male student complains. He presses his face to a display case, delicious foods being held inside. "I'm starving…" His name was Hibiki Yukata.

**-HIBIKI YUKATA-**

**ULTIMATE HAIRDRESSER**

_Hibiki had a slim, tall build. His hair came down to his ears, and was both each of its many layers were dyed, giving off the illusion of it being a light brown on top, and getting darker underneath. His eyes were a simple hazel color. The hairdresser wore a pair of skinny, light grey jeans, accompanied with a dark blue long sleeved shirt under an oversized purple jacket. Said jacket had white sleeves._

"You really wanna risk that?" Seymour chuckles. "Could be poisonous. Actually—I'm curious, try it for us."

"I'm sure it's perfectly fine. The bear clearly wants us to stay a long time; and I don't think that's going to happen without proper nutrition." a girl murmurs. She stood behind Seymour, watching from his camera as well—her name was Ryoko Tsukatani.

**-RYOKO TSUKATANI-**

**ULTIMATE POETESS**

_A petite figure with a light complexion, with slender limbs. Only one of her eyes are visible—a yellow orb—the other is covered by a white eyepatch. Her black hair is medium length, styled in two twintails resting on her shoulders. Her clothing consists of a red fringed scarf over a white blouse, black jeans, and a pair of boots of the same shade._

The two had been watching videos of the events just moments ago. Seymour had recorded it all, making sure to get good shots of Monokuma. He had expressed interest in documenting his stay in the city, "I'm gonna be a damned millionaire after this story" he had said.

"Too bad we don't have some sort of Ultimate Food Inspector or something," Seymour mutters.

"Well, _*munch*,_ I don't think- _*munch*,_ we'll need one." Hibiki responds, broken up by the sounds of teeth chomping down on something. Looking over, a sandwich missing a bite was in the male's hands.

"How'd you even open it?" the fourth, and final student of the food court group asks, referring to the display case. She was the Ultimate Alpine Skier, Rina Takahashi.

**-RINA TAKAHASHI-**

**ULTIMATE ALPINE SKIER**

_A girl of average height with a skinny figure, though with a bit of muscle. Her dark brown hair is layered, and choppy, coming down just past her shoulders. Bangs rest over her forehead. For clothes, she has black leggings under black half snow pants, and a green jacket over a white undershirt. She wears brown ski boots._

"Uuh… there was a little switch on the side," Hibiki explains, finishing his bite. "Food tastes fine, Mr. Ultimate Paranoia."

"Lemme know in the morning." Seymour replies, switching his full attention toward his camera.

Rina walks over to Seymour and Ryoko, noticing their concentration. "So, wait, what is this again?" she asks, curiously.

"I recorded everything since when that _Monokuma_ showed up. To prove it all really happened, the day we escape, and for one hell of a story." Seymour says.

"One hell of a story?" Rina then asks. Hibiki joins the group at this point.

"I'm a journalist."

"Oh! Wait, what's your name?"

"Seymour."

"What do you write about?"

"Things."

"Like what?"

"You ask a lotta questions, don't you?" Seymour raises a brow, turning to Rina. "I don't know jack about you, what's _your_ name?"

"U-uh… sorry, it's Rina." the skier introduces herself, sheepishly. "I'm the Ultimate Alpine Skier."

"Sorry." It's then Seymour's turn to apologize. "Nice to meet you." Rina agrees.

"Aww." Hibiki snickers, teasingly.

"Oh dear god." Seymour sighs, heavily.

"What are you trying to imply, Hibiki? Do you think love could bloom out of just a few sentences?" Ryoko asks, confused.

"What? That's how it starts!" Hibiki defends, half-jokingly.

"Guys!" Rina exclaims, blood rushing to her face. Finding the others to be of no help to his personal investigation, Seymour promptly walks out, putting the camera in his satchel he carried.

* * *

><p>While one could argue Rina and Seymour weren't having quite a fun time, Nicholas was suffering a worse fate. He made his way to his room, staring himself in the bathroom mirror, watching the sweat roll down his face, bottle of painkillers from the cabinet in hand. His headache from earlier had only intensified further, feeling as if it were to rip his brain apart. And the only thing he could think of during the whole headache was a single name.<p>

Monokuma.

It's almost fact, now. Nicholas is convinced. Monokuma is a known name, a criminal. He remembers a case, an extremely important case—about what, he doesn't know. But he gets the same heartache thinking about it as he does Monokuma. _How could I forget a case? I remember each one._ he thinks, trying so hard to force himself to remember. And nothing comes to him. This absolute feeling of emptiness, unsure of his own memories, the pain he feels whenever he thinks of Monokuma, there was a name for it all, and the word struck deeply in Nicholas' mind.

Despair. He was feeling despair.

Elsewhere, sleep wouldn't come easy. It wasn't likely there would be any sleep that night at all. In the middle of seemingly nowhere, a military camp stands in a blanket of snow. Futuristic technology could be seen from miles, or perhaps from the forest of pine trees nearby. The front gates had two words on them:

**CAMP HOPE**

One of the buildings inside Camp Hope was dedicated to communications. Dozens of computer experts sat behind monitors, leaning in and typing at rapid speeds. With members running to and fro, and the loud shouts of codes and important information being sent to one another, clearly there was a situation.

The communications rooms were formatted just as you'd expect. A dimly lit room with a large screen up front, and rows of computers, each one occupied. An older gentleman with greying hair and at least a dozen medals plus an American flag attached to his olive green peacoat stood before the members of the room. One of said members was locked into a conversation with him.

"General, it's going to take us some time," the young man said, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. "Please, I'm sorry—"

"She's a _menace,_ Grant!" the General shouts. "We don't _have_ time. Keep searching, you know what she's capable of. It's been long enough without her being in our custody."

"I know, sir, just, after everything that's happened, our tech isn't really up to date…" Grant trails off, loosening his already hanging tie.

"Just do what you can. We exist for one reason, and one reason only, Grant." the General mutters.

"To do what the Future Foundation can't…" Grant nods.

"Exactly. We must prevent as many mutual killing games as we can. Keep. Searching."

* * *

><p>[AN: I told you guys it'd take 10 years don't kill me. This probably didn't need to be so long lol. I'm just gonna go reply to reviews now.

Yellow Rose: lazy (thank you tho)

ApexUtopia: Ryoko got like two more lines hahahaha ty

ProfessionalCatFan: Thanks for the criticism, fixed all that.

CaptainQuackin: Hikaru is fun thankss

BillyBioBob: the decade is finally over sry about that

IfTimeWasStill: Thanks. Hopefully I'm doing character introductions like realistically, that's what I'm going for

PSISomething: HAH it is realistic thank you again sir future installments won't be for a while tho whoops

Forsaken Namesake: YOU GOTTA BERT-LIEVE

ok that's enough now bye seeya in 50 years or so]


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